Here are our responses to the first question(s) for the week. Remember, you can always ask us questions by clicking the Ask the Geeks logo on the left sidebar (or this link).

Shirley asks: I picked up Mark Bradley but am wondering whether I should start him over Lance Moore? I’m starting Tyler Thigpen so I’m already going to get some points any Thigpen-Bradley connection.

Brandon’s take: Hey Shirley, although I think Mark Bradley could make for an interesting play in the upcoming weeks, I don’t see how you can start him over Lance Moore. Even with Marques Colston back in action, Moore has obviously developed some good chemistry with Drew Brees and is a proven commodity. Over the course of their last three games, their stats are pretty similar, but before that, Moore was putting up numbers while Bradley was putting up goose eggs. Go with Moore until you see proof that he’s being phased out of the Saints game plan (which I don’t see happening this season!)

Most definitely, Brandon! I also had some people telling me to start Muhammad over Moore too. Breaston was a disappointment for me but my other players picked up the slack. Also I’m glad that I didn’t give into temptation and started Thigpen over Romo 🙂

Now that we’ve completed five weeks of the season, there are probably a few of you in keeper leagues who are nearing the point where you already chalk this season up as a loss and move on to preparation for next year. Maybe your team of Jon Kitna, Ocho Cinco, Ryan Grant and Braylon Edwards just isn’t doing it for you (and there’s not a whole lot of reason your luck is going to change anytime soon!) Anyways, as we get closer and closer to the fantasy trade deadline (if your league has one) or the point where teams start clinching the playoffs, it might be time to start considering some names that you’ll want on your roster come next season, so here we go…

(Note: I didn’t include players such as Chris Johnson, Steve Slaton, or Matt Forte, who are already contributing in a big way for their teams and are almost guaranteed to be on a fantasy roster already this year…but by all means you’ll want to keep them too!)

Running Backs

Felix Jones, Cowboys: I’ll admit, if you’re in a keeper league where everyone is not completely brain-dead, Jones is probably already on a fantasy roster. However, that shouldn’t prevent you from trying to pry him from the unsuspecting grasp of an owner who is focused on winning this year. Jones looks like the real deal and as he’s averaging 9.0 yards per carry at this point, there’s no way the Cowboys can have him riding the pine as much as he has, even with Marion Barber on the team. Next season the team will probably name Barber the starter again, but I expect a pretty even split in the number of carries and they should both put up serviceable fantasy numbers. (More …)

Here’s a look at the players to target on your league’s waiver wire this week. This list is ordered by the percentage of ESPN leagues in which the player is available; even if you’re not a ESPN user, it’s a decent indication of how likely you are to find the player on waivers in your league. We also note here how strongly we feel about this pickup with three categories: Instant Starter, Grab ‘n’ Stash, or Desperation Pickup.

Mewelde Moore, RB, Steelers (0.6% owned, Desperation Pickup) – With Willie Parker already out with an injury, the Steelers lost backup Rashard Mendenhall for the season with a fractured shoulder in Monday’s game. Mewelde Moore will most likely become the backup to Parker, but if Fast Willie is to miss another game or two with his knee injury, Moore would get the start. Keep in mind though that running back Carey Davis was splitting carries with Moore after Mendenhall went out with the injury, so it could become a committee situation.

Lance Moore, WR, Saints (1.5% owned, Instant Starter) – I guess he should have made the list last week after seven receptions, but now he’s for real (at least until Marques Colston makes his return.) With seven more receptions, 101 yards and two touchdowns, it appears he’s Brees’ favorite target for the time being…and should be on your roster if possible. (More …)

Before I go into any thoughts on the games from the weekend, I have one question: Has there ever been a week in the NFL where the combined age of the four quarterbacks playing in two games (Jets vs Cardinals, Vikings vs Titans) was greater than this week? This weekend we saw Brett Favre (38), Trent Green (38), Kurt Warner (37), Gus Frerotte (37), and Kerry Collins (35) all out there trying to show young whipper-snappers across the league how the game is played…with varying degrees of success (or failure). Anyways, let’s get into what transpired this weekend, starting with the barn-burner that took place as the Arizona Cardinals came into town to battle the Jets:

Jets 56, Cardinals 35: You would never have guessed that the score to this game was 0-0 after the first quarter…but it was. Six Brett Favre touchdowns and 472 Kurt Warner passing yards (or whatever percentage he got after the first quarter) later, you end up with the final score of 56 to 35. Without going into too much more detail (you can see the stats for yourself), let’s just say that anyone who started Laveranues Coles, Jericho Cotchery, Edgerrin James, Larry Fitzgerald, or Anquan Boldin were not disappointed. Nor were the crazy Cardinal homers who started Steve Breaston or Jerheme Urban…if any actually exist (P.S. You’ll find Breaston on the waiver wire list this week…especially if Boldin misses any games after suffering a bad helmet-to-helmet hit.) (More …)